Worthiness
by Purple Glass Roses
Summary: After a two week trip, Kyoya returns to find drastic changes to the Host Club, changes he doesn't approve of. "There can be no friendship without trust. The trust is gone." "Not all of it."


_Disclaimer: Ouran High School Host Club belongs to Bisco Hatori._

Kyōya sighed heavily as he made his way from the limousine towards the front steps of Ouran Academy. He was rather tired from having returned only two days prior from the two week trip to Argentina +thrust upon him by his father. He had a hard enough time waking up on a normal day, trying to do so while suffering from jetlag was pure hell. While the business venture itself would not, and in fact did not, cause him any troubles, the fact of the matter was his Spanish was subpar- although better than that of his brothers, part of the reason he was chosen for the trip- and he had not wanted to waste two weeks of his time in a foreign country, whatever the reason. If he were going to go anywhere, he would have preferred it to be a place of his own choosing. Regardless, the trip was in the past, and now he had a full day of school, and a full afternoon of Hosting to look forward to. Straightening his back, he walked tall and proud through the doors of the school.

The day itself was rather unremarkable. Tamaki was only slightly less annoying than usual, which was a bit concerning, but Kyōya just chalked it up to his having to deal with the day-to-day aspects of the club on his own for longer than a day. He wouldn't bring it up unless the behavior continued for an exacerbated amount of time, for then he would be worried. In the meantime, he would just deal with Tamaki as he was wont to do, either ignoring him when he did get to be too much, or subtly trying to calm him down from whatever excited him at the present moment.

It wasn't until sometime after lunch when the feeling that something big had taken place began to overtake him. Kyōya wasn't quite sure what it was, but there was an odd feeling about that left him slightly troubled. Pulling out his laptop during a moment of quiet, he began pulling up information on the club from the time he was out. While nowhere near as proficient as he was, Kaoru, with whom he entrusted the task of budgeting in his absence, had done a decent job of making sure everything was accounted for properly. Obviously, Kyōya, himself, would have to go back and double check to make sure everything was correct, but he was pleased with himself that he had asked the right person to handle things in his stead.

There were obviously two weeks' worth of zeros where his name was, but it was the next column of zeros that caught his attention. They were underneath Haruhi's name. And they began Tuesday of the same week he left. That was odd. Kyōya leaned forward in his seat, his head resting on his interlaced fingers as he looked over the line which read Fujioka Haruhi. Monday was a highly profitable day for the girl. But this was no surprise to Kyōya. Despite her resounding debt, Haruhi was every bit the natural that they all claimed her to be. So why did she not have any profits for the following two weeks? It was something he was going to have to bring up with Tamaki prior to club hours.

After all, she did still have a debt to repay. With that thought, Kyōya could feel the smirk as it appeared on his lips as he saved the file and began to shut down his laptop. Placing the electronic device in his bag, he stood to make his way out of the library. He nearly collided with someone as he turned from the table he was working on.

"Pardon me," he said, taking in the sight of the slight figure in front of him. "Haruhi?"

Kyōya frowned as the girl in question looked up, surprised at the voice speaking to her. She looked awful. Her wide, brown eyes appeared bloodshot, as though she had not been sleeping. And she appeared to be thinner than the last time he'd seen her. She took a step back from him then quickly bowed, before rushing out of the library without having said a word.

The unease from earlier returned in full force at the younger girl's odd behavior. He was definitely going to have to speak with Tamaki. And perhaps with Ranka.

Kyōya marched purposefully toward Music Room #3. He had plenty of questions, and he demanded answers for all of them. As per usual, he was the first to arrive. He placed his belongings at his usual table, and waited for the other Hosts to arrive. He immediately began pulling the file he'd read earlier in the day onto the screen. He still couldn't make heads or tails of just exactly what he was seeing. And his perusal of the school records indicated that Haruhi had not been out on any of those days.

So why did she have a zero balance for two entire weeks?

The first to enter the room where Mori and Honey. The Mori nodded to Kyōya in acknowledgement, a gesture the younger man returned. Honey smiled, waving.

"Welcome back, Kyo-chan! How was your trip?" Honey asked, taking a seat across of him.

"It was rather… uneventful," Kyōya said carefully. When neither Honey, nor Mori said anything, he sighed. Very well, they obviously weren't going to give him anything. And Kyōya knew better than to push when it came to the seniors. "But I am rather glad to be back home, where things are _familiar_."

Honey shifted in his seat, turning to face Mori. Mori's typically stoic face seemed more blank than usual. But again, Kyōya wasn't going to push it. He would bide his time, and wait for the proper moment.

The next to enter were the twins. They were speaking to one another quickly, their hands gesturing wildly. Unfortunately, they were also speaking too quietly for anyone to hear them. It wasn't until one of them looked up and noticed Kyōya observing them with a raised eyebrow that they stopped.

"Kyōya-senpai!" Hikaru said. (At least Kyōya assumed it was Hikaru. Haruhi really was the only one who could differentiate between them.) "You're back!"

"Indeed." Kyōya glanced to the other twin, whom he hoped as Kaoru, motioning to his laptop. "Thank you for keeping the files up to date while I was away. You've done a commendable job."

Kaoru nodded. "Thanks. It wasn't too hard once I figured it out."

"Indeed," he said again. "Although, there seems to be a discrepancy that I was quite curious about." It seemed that he didn't have to elaborate what that might have been as both twins looked at one another before responding in unison.

"You're going to have to talk to the boss about that."

"Very well." Kyōya folded his arms and leaned back in his seat, awaiting the entrance of the Host King, thinking on the reactions he'd received in the past few minutes. Something, indeed, had happened. It obviously involved Haruhi, and none of the others were willing to discuss it. Not to mention the girl's haggard appearance, and uncharacteristically formal behavior.

The room was silent after that, save for the sounds of the others preparing for the afternoon. Kyōya didn't get a chance to speak with Tamaki, who was running late, until well after Club hours began. The others all performed their duties as usual. Yet several things were amiss. The guests, for the most part, enjoyed themselves. But there were some who seemed slightly uneasy, which was odd.

And then there was the giant, white elephant in the room: Haruhi never showed up. He was accustomed to her running in late, having gotten lost in her studies or from running some inane errand. But to just skip altogether was not like her.

All the secrecy and oddities were beginning to anger Kyōya. He very much did not like to be kept out of the loop, and it seemed that was exactly what Tamaki was doing. Once the guests had left, Kyōya approached the blond, his notebook in hand. Tamaki smiled. Kyōya nodded.

"I have been noticing some rather peculiar things this afternoon that I would like for you to clarify for me, Tamaki," Kyōya said, his voice level. No need to let him know just how annoyed he really was.

"Of course!" Tamaki stated. Kyōya motioned for him to follow. The two sat at Kyōya's laptop. Within seconds, he had the file open, and was indicating that Tamaki look.

"I would like someone to explain to me the lack of participation from Haruhi in the weeks that I was absent. I would also like an explanation for her absence this afternoon." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, crossing his arms and looking Tamaki in the eyes. "And I would like these explanations now. From you."

Tamaki's face grew serious as he sat up to his full height. Kyōya could see out of the corner of his eyes the others pausing in whatever they were doing to watch the two of them. So, they were aware of everything that was going on.

"Fuj…" Tamaki cleared his throat. With a shake of his head, he began again. "A unanimous decision was made, and Haruhi is no longer permitted to participate in the Host Club." He spat out her name as if it were one of the vilest tastes he'd ever come across.

"What." It was meant to come out as a question. Tamaki only ever spoke of Haruhi in that doting, lovesick tone, while professing himself as her father. He had spoken her name with a cold detachment Kyōya wasn't even aware he was capable of. They sat there in silence as Kyōya tried to process what he'd heard. Could they even make a unanimous decision with him not having been there? "What did she do that required such a punishment?"

"She's a common thief," Hikaru spat. Kyōya could tell this was Hikaru by the amount of animosity in his voice. He turned in his seat to give the twin his attention. "All day that first Monday you were out, things began to go missing."

"Expensive things," Kaoru added, leaning on the arm of the couch.

Hikaru nodded. "Turns out she was nicking them when we weren't looking."

Kyōya raised an eyebrow at the redhead. None of that made any sense to him. Haruhi had made it quite clear, several times over, that she wanted nothing to do with their extravagant lifestyles or belongings. And he'd assumed, incorrectly apparently, that the others were well aware of that.

"I assume she confessed?"

"No." It was Mori who spoke, though he wasn't looking in Kyōya's direction. He was watching the door, almost as though he were waiting for the person in question to make an appearance.

"But we found all of our things in her bag and her locker," Honey added. The Boy-Lolita look was replaced with a look of severe disappointment.

"And of course," Tamaki continued, "when we confronted her about it, she denied it all. So, the decision was made, and she was banned from the Host Club."

Kyōya nodded slowly, trying to process everything. None of this made any sense to him. If he didn't know they were all quite serious, he would have thought they were playing an elaborate prank on him. But Mori and Honey wouldn't be involved in something like that, and the twins knew better than to attempt to do so with him.

"And what of her debt to the club, if she is no longer permitted to participate?" He hated asking, almost afraid of the response he would receive. This thought surprised him.

"Oh, she'll just have to find some other way to pay it back," Tamaki shrugged.

Kyōya turned his face away from Tamaki, the fading sunlight hitting the lenses of his glasses and obscuring his eyes from the others. Inside he was fuming. How was Tamaki expecting her, a mere commoner, to pay back millions of yen? How were the others going along with this ridiculousness? How could any of them accuse Haruhi of thievery?

Where did this enormous breach in trust come from?

"Well, it seems as though everything was taken care of accordingly," Kyōya smiled, closing his eyes to not allow his innermost thoughts to be seen. Tamaki may be a fool, but he could still read Kyōya like a book, and right now the title of said book was "Enraged." Tamaki seemed to relax in his seat, having apparently heard exactly what he wanted from the Host Club Vice-President. Kyōya quickly gathered his belongings. "I will prepare a new spreadsheet to account for the changes. Good night to you all." He said all of this over his shoulder, not wanting to stay in that room any longer than he had to.

His stride was brisk as he pulled out his cell and dialed Haruhi's number. He growled in anger when he received the message that the number was no longer in service. Snapping the phone shut, he closed his eyes to take a deep breath. Everything had gone to hell while he was gone, and now he was left to pick up the pieces. If there were any pieces left. With a shake of his head, he dialed the next number that came to mind. He waited patiently as he heard the ringing.

"Hello?" the voice on the other line said. It really did take everything within him to not sigh in relief.

"Hello, Ranka-san. I apologize for the break in calls."

"Kyōya!" Ranka sounded surprised. His tone immediately changed. "Would you mind explaining to me what the hell that club of yours has done to my daughter?"

Kyōya sat in the living room of the Fujioka residence, Ranka not quite glaring at him. He'd always had the distinct privilege of being Ranka's favorite, if only because he was the only one who regularly checked in with the father of their sole female Host. Kyōya could admit that he was slightly uncomfortable, with Ranka standing over him, a dark look on his face.

"I do apologize, Ranka-san. Unfortunately, I know of this situation about as much as you do." He picked up the teacup in front of him, if only to have something to focus on. "I was called out of the country by my father for two weeks, and have not been kept abreast of the goings-on at the Host Club." It wasn't a lie. He hadn't been kept up to date while he was away.

"Dammit," Ranka sighed, plopping himself on the floor next to Kyōya. He rested his arms on the table. This was taking its toll on the father as well, Kyōya noted. He looked worn, but not to the degree Haruhi did. "I can't even start to put into words just how worried I am for her. All last week, she'd been coming in later and later, and then staying up all night to study. She won't speak to me, not that I'm surprised by this. But, dammit," Ranka banged his fist on the table, causing Kyōya to jump slightly, "how am I supposed to go to work at night, knowing that she's working herself to the point of exhaustion? I've barely seen her in two weeks!" Ranka looked at Kyōya, as though he were expecting an answer. There were tears gathering in his eyes.

Kyōya had always liked Ranka. And, though he loathed admitting it, he admired the relationship father and daughter had. It only served to fuel his anger that this man was brought to tears at the treatment of his child by her supposed friends.

"I will speak with her, and try to figure out what is bothering her." Ranka said nothing. Nothing needed to be said. The tears falling down his cheeks as he nodded spoke volumes. "Where is she, by the way?"

"Sleeping," Ranka answered, his voice gruff from crying. "She tried to sneak out to go to the store, but nearly collapsed at the door. I forced her to go to bed. I had to sit at the door to make sure that she didn't sneak out when I wasn't looking. She's done that before."

"She collapsed?" Kyōya asked, horrified.

Ranka sighed sadly. "Like I said, she's exhausted. Something has happened, and now she has the weight of the world on her shoulders again. It took so long for that weight to be lifted, and I really thought the Host Club was helping with that. Please help her, Kyōya. I can't lose her like that again."

He was trying very hard to put the pieces of the puzzle together. But it felt like he was being given pieces from separate puzzles, and thus he couldn't make one picture. After returning home from Haruhi's apartment, Kyōya spent most of the night going over everything again. He truly hated not being informed. Ranka had given him permission to enter Haruhi's room, despite her having been asleep. Even in sleep, she looked haggard. For one who claimed not to care what others thought of her, she was obviously taking the rejection from the Host Club to heart. He stood off to the side as Ranka had knelt beside her, pushing her hair out of her face, murmuring quietly to her. The entire scene was too much for Kyōya to take in, so he excused himself and waited for Ranka to exit the room before taking his leave. He reiterated his intent to keep an eye out for Haruhi, and promised Ranka that he would come through.

The following day, life at Ouran went back to normal, although Kyōya did make a concerted effort to keep an extra eye out for Haruhi. When she normally would have been flanked by the twins, she now made her way through the halls, hunched over, her eyes never coming up from a book or a stack of papers. It interested Kyōya to note that while she was ignored by the member of the Host Club, her peers seemed to be keeping a closer eye on her. Unfortunately, given her nature, most of their concerned glances were ignored. She meant no malice by it, she just didn't seem interested in socializing anymore.

At lunch, Kyōya explained to Tamaki that he had a special project that he needed to take care of, and therefore would not be eating lunch with him. The blond was slightly put off, but nodded anyway. Once he was sure that the other wasn't following him, Kyōya began to seek out Haruhi. He came across her seated at one of the benches, the table covered with papers and books, and Haruhi furiously writing. He frowned, not seeing her usual bento box anywhere.

Without a word, he sat down across from her, making enough noise to startle her from her scribbling and muttering to herself. Her head shot up, and she stared at him with wide, tired eyes.

"You are aware that it is lunch break, correct?" he asked nonchalantly. She only continued to stare at him. He shrugged, and began eating his own lunch. Once she realized he had nothing else to say, she hesitantly resumed working. Discreetly, he took in her appearance. He wasn't mistaken yesterday, she had lost weight. The circles under her eyes were evidence of the sleepless nights Ranka had informed him about the night before. It seemed the night of rest did nothing to alleviate the exhaustion. At the very least, her eyes were not as bloodshot as the day prior though that wasn't saying much.

It seemed that she couldn't handle the silence anymore, as she slammed her pencil onto the table and glared at him. "Why are you here, senpai? Don't you have more important things to do than sit there and stare at me?" They were the first words she'd said to him since he'd returned from his trip. He had never heard her sound so tired before. Not just physically, either.

"Do you not have more important places to be than alone with just your textbooks?" he retorted.

She scoffed, picking up the pencil again. "I came to this school for a reason. I got sidetracked for a while, but I was reminded of what that reason was. And now I am doing what I need to do to continue reaching that goal. So no, I don't have any place else to be. I am exactly where I should be." She kept her head down as she spoke. And she gripped the pencil tightly in her fingers.

"Haruhi…" Kyōya began, but paused as she groaned quietly, rubbing at her eyes. "Are you alright? You don't look well."

"Fine, it's just a headache," she said, her head resting on her hand. Her voice had gotten quieter. "I've been getting them a lot lately… You never answered my question."

Kyōya considered her thoughtfully for a moment before he spoke. "It is my lunch break, and I am taking it outdoors with a friend."

The fingers around the pencil tightened as she scoffed.

"There can be no friendship without trust. The trust is gone."

Kyōya paused. "Not all of it," he countered. Haruhi's eyes widened, yet she said nothing, and just stared at her textbook. Kyōya decided on a different tactic, as it seemed he now had her attention. "I spoke with your father. It seems he's rather concerned about you." Haruhi began going through her belongings, still not meeting his gaze. "Haruhi…"

"Here," Haruhi interrupted him. Kyōya blinked. In her hand, she held a tiny stack of bills. "I may not be a Host, but I still have a debt that needs to be settled. I know it isn't much, but it's all I have right now." He knew for a fact that Ranka wasn't aware of the debt that Haruhi had incurred, so she hadn't asked him for the money. So the question remained…

"Where did you get this?" He still hadn't accepted the money that was held in front of his face.

Haruhi's eyes narrowed in anger. "If you must know, I have extra time after school now. So I do odd jobs in order to pay off what I owe. I figured you of all people would be happy about that." Kyōya sat up straighter in his seat at the accusation, but became alarmed when Haruhi took a step back. "Please, just take it." She presented the money to him again, hoping he would take it. "I promise I'll pay it all back eventually, but you _have_ to take this."

"Haruhi, I'm not going to take your money."

She threw the money at him in anger. It landed on the floor with a soft thud. "Why not? Is it that my money isn't good enough for you?" she yelled. "I have been busting my ass ever since all of this happened! I'm sorry that I have to work five times as hard to make a thousand times less than you, but I am trying!"

He looked at her impassively. "You're wearing yourself out."

"So what?" She groaned in frustration. "What is your point, senpai?"

"You have more free time, as it were, after school, so you spend it working. Which I might add, is against school policy for a scholarship student."

"Not as long as the school isn't aware of it, and as long as I keep my grades up," Haruhi said defiantly. Kyōya was amazed that she was fighting against him so fiercely.

He pushed his glasses up with his finger, looking down at her. "Tell me, Haruhi. Between the hours of school, and however many hours of work that you are juggling, when do you find time to sleep?"

Haruhi turned away from him, starting to gather up her books. "I'm sleeping just fine."

Vaguely Kyōya could make out the ringing of the bell tower, signaling the end of lunch period. His half eaten meal only serving as a reminder that he had not seen Haruhi eat anything at all. "And between the studying and working, when was the last time you had a decent meal?"

She paused, her hand in front of her as she reached for a textbook. "I'm… eating." Clearly, she couldn't recall, which was another point of concern for Kyōya.

"When?" he insisted.

She turned her back to him, shouldering her bag. She stood stiffly facing away from him. "Please, senpai. Just leave it alone. Lunch is over, and I have to get to class." She took one step forward before she wavered slightly. Immediately, her hand flew to her eyes, as she took deep breaths. Kyōya watched her in concern as she tried to stand up straight again. The bells began to chime again, and she jumped. He'd barely had a few seconds to react before she toppled over.

"Haruhi!" Kyōya rushed forward to grab her as she fell over sideways. He'd managed to catch her as she fainted. Picking her up bridal style, he looked around to see a few students watching the scene. He stood, making his way to the infirmary, both their bags forgotten at the table in his haste.

"I'm sorry, senpai," Haruhi whispered against his chest, her eyes closed. "I think I stood out in the sun for too long."

Kyōya swallowed back the comment he wanted to make. The cause of her fainting spell, her second in as many days apparently, was her pushing herself too hard, not the sun. He was aware of her fierce independence, but this was something else. It was almost as though she were trying to prove herself to the others. He fought back the snarl that was building inside as he held her closer.

The entire afternoon was one discovery after the next, and he was sure that none of the members of the Host Club were aware of what their actions were doing to the fiercely independent Haruhi. He swore silently to remain on her side. The subject of her expulsion from the club never came up, but he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Haruhi could never commit the crime that she was being accused of. Not if she was working herself so hard to prove herself afterwards.

"It's ok, Haruhi," he finally answered. It was all going to be ok. Kyōya would personally see to that.

He'd checked her into the infirmary with instructions for the nurse that she had not been eating, and that she needed to do so quickly. It wasn't until he was leaving that he realized he'd left his belongings in the courtyard. Cursing, he headed back in that direction.

"Looking for something?" a haunting voice called behind him. He turned to see Nekozawa, draped in his typical cloak and Beelzenef resting atop his right hand. In his left he held two bags, Kyōya's and Haruhi's. "You left these behind in your hurry."

"Thank you, Nekozawa-senpai," he said as he accepted the bags, slightly surprised that the Black Magic Club president would have gone out into the sunlight to retrieve them. Nekozawa reached into his cloak, producing the stack of cash Haruhi had tried giving to him.

"This was lying on the floor in the same area, I assumed it was yours. I know Haruhi wouldn't walk around with 240,410 ¥ just lying around. Although, if I were to think about it, neither would you."

Kyōya accepted the stack, the weight of it feeling like lead in his hands. 240,410 ¥. This was the reason she was working herself to the point of collapse. He couldn't help but wonder why it was harder to accept Haruhi paying back her debt when it was in a physical form, as opposed to in his ledger. Something about actually holding the bills in his hand made him uncomfortable.

"She doesn't appear to be doing well," Nekozawa said, choosing to ignore Kyōya's sudden silence.

"No, she doesn't." Kyōya shot a surprised look at the senior. "She?"

Nekozawa smiled eerily. "It is much easier to see what lies beyond the shadows when you spend all of your time in the darkness, isn't it, Your Majesty?"

It took a moment for Kyōya to process the comment. He smirked, realizing that Nekozawa was referring to both Haruhi's secret and his Club appointed nickname. "Indeed it is, Nekozawa-senpai."

Using Beelzenef as a proxy, Nekozawa gestured to the door of the infirmary. "See to it that she is taken care of. I worry her lack of seeking assistance will only hurt her further."

Kyōya pocketed the money, an idea forming in his mind. "Of course."

Things were very subdued during Club hours. As Kyōya made his way around the room, he would occasionally overhear a few of the girls, especially the first years, speaking about Haruhi. This made the others tense, not wanting to breech the subject of the banned Host.

"Kyōya-sempai?" a mousy looking girl, Sumiko, called to him.

He smiled his typical Host smile at her. "How may I be of assistance, Princess?"

"Is it true that you were the one who brought Haruhi to the nurse?" While the question was aimed at him, it appeared that everyone was interested in the outcome of his answer. Even the other Hosts had stopped what they were doing to listen. If it was a show they were after, Kyōya was more than game. He sighed heavily, bringing a hand to rest on his forehead. Let it never be said that he never picked up any tricks from Tamaki.

"Yes, I'm afraid it is true. I was eating my lunch in the courtyard when I happened to come across Haruhi. Right before the tardy bell rang, he collapsed at my feet. I couldn't just very well leave him there in the hot sun and obviously so ill."

The girls began to squeal in delight at the tale of Kyōya's act of heroism. It was all true, just slightly exaggerated.

"You know, now that you mention it," a classmate of Haruhi's stated, "He has been looking rather ill lately."

"And he always has his face shoved in a book or two."

"Do you think he'll be ok, Kyōya-senpai?" Sumiko asked him. He feigned a deep, thoughtful expression.

"I suppose that with some rest, and some food, Haruhi will be just fine." Kyōya made it a point to avoid glancing at any of the other Hosts while saying this. The mousy girl smiled as she nodded at his statement.

"He did have an apple that he put in his bag before he came back to class." Kyōya mentally cursed at Haruhi. If she put the apple in her bag, that meant she hadn't eaten it, bringing her total meals in two days back to zero.

"If you ladies will excuse me, I have some things I need to take care of." He smiled at the table. They responded in kind. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his cell, dialing a number quickly. Glancing surreptitiously around the room, Kyōya made his way to an empty corner of the music room as he waited for the other line to answer.

"Yes sir?" a deep voice answered.

"I want you to find, follow and observe Fujioka Haruhi until she returns home. And I want you to send an update every two hours. Do not let her know you are observing her. And send another team to find out what they can of the businesses that she is in contact with."

"Yes sir," was the answer. The call ended after that, and Kyōya went to his laptop.

He had research to do.

The next morning found Kyōya covertly asking around about the Host Club. When the girls whom he spoke with asked why he wanted to know if they were aware of anything at all, he would make up some story using his two week absence as part of the excuse. Most of the information he'd gathered was useless to his investigation. Some things, however, were actually quite interesting.

He'd happened to be asking Kurakano Momoka about the subject of the Host Club, and the subject of the twins' behavior towards Haruhi came up.

"They've suddenly just become so cold towards him. It's all very strange," she'd said. Next to her Soga Kazukiyo nodded.

"Didn't it start right about the time Haruhi's belongings started disappearing?"

This bit of information was new. Kyōya tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

Momoka was nodding. "It was so odd. Right after lunch, it seemed like Haruhi was losing or misplacing things left and right. That's not like him at all."

"And the next day, neither Hikaru nor Kaoru were talking to him anymore," Kazukiyo added.

"How very odd," Kyōya agreed, bringing a finger to his chin in consideration.

He spent some time compiling all the information he'd had gathered the past few days. His private investigator had informed him that Haruhi was working at a restaurant, illegally as she was still a minor and the school prohibited jobs, and was being paid cash. She arrived roughly an hour after classes let out, and returned home close to one in the morning, just before Ranka. That explained how he hadn't seen much of his own daughter. To Kyōya's mild relief, his informant had said that she had eaten the apple the nurse gave to her on her way to the restaurant, so she wasn't completely running on fumes.

He'd also looked more into Haruhi's missing belongings, asking a classmate or two whether or not Haruhi had mentioned it. He was informed that Haruhi had been asking a few people to borrow their textbook to copy notes from, as her own set at school had seemed to vanish. When she was informed by a fellow classmate that the main library kept copies of the textbooks for students to checkout in such an event, she then spent a good deal more time there studying. It was also why her backpack was so heavy the day before. She had checked out textbooks to study, and was carrying them around with her.

Kyōya now sat in the third music room, typing away at his laptop, ignoring Tamaki as he paced the room. The Host King had called an emergency meeting right before lunch, but so far the meeting consisted of the other's watching Tamaki pace fretfully.

"Men, it seems we are beginning to suffer a bit of an image problem," Tamaki announced, suddenly ceasing his movement. The others all looked at him, except for Kyōya, as he frowned in thought. "And it's all stemming from our former Natural."

"So what exactly would you suggest, milord?" Kaoru asked, leaning lazily on the couch.

Tamaki's frown deepened. "I'm not exactly sure."

"Besides," Hikaru said, lazily leaning on his brother, "It isn't like Haruhi is going around, announcing to the world what she did."

"Haruhi hasn't been saying a lot about anything," Kaoru said. He appeared to be thinking. "You know, those girls were right yesterday."

The others turned to him.

"What do you mean, Kao-chan?" Honey asked.

"When she came back from the nurse…"

"She looked terrible," Hikaru finished. That was the opening Kyōya was waiting for.

"Well, that's because she's been working extremely long nights." Reaching into his laptop bag, he produced the stack of cash Nekozawa handed to him. He let it drop onto the table with a quiet thud.

"What is that?" Hikaru asked. Kyōya grinned mentally, knowing he had their full attention.

"This is the money that Haruhi gave to me yesterday. It seems now that she isn't Hosting, she has a few extra hours after school to work."

"But she's not allowed to work," Tamaki shook his head. "It would be grounds for expulsion based on the scholarship program. She knows that."

Kyōya shrugged. "Which is exactly why she is working under the table, if you will."

Honey glanced at Mori, confused. "'Under the table'?"

"Illegally," Mori answered, eyeing the cash disdainfully.

"Wait, what do you mean by that, Kyōya-senpai?" Kaoru asked.

"By getting a job, Haruhi would be violating the statute of the handbook that clearly states any student receiving a scholarship would be expelled from Ouran Academy as soon as they are found out, as it would interfere with their studies. What she is currently doing is working by a verbal agreement with the owner of the restaurant where she is, ironically enough, a hostess. There's no paper trail this way, and the owner doesn't have to pay taxes for his employee. Meaning they can work her for as many hours as they want, and pay her as little as they wish, and she has no say. That would also explain why she is leaving school directly after the last bell rings, and is returning home at one o'clock in the morning."

"But…but why would she do that?" Honey asked, scratching his head. Kyōya smiled at the others, although he was far from happy with any of them currently.

"You said it yourself, Tamaki. She still has a debt to pay. It looks like she found a way to pay it. By the way, in case you were wondering," he patted the money lightly, "she's left 240,410 ¥."

"240,410 ¥!?" the twins yelled in unison. Honey and Tamaki gaped in shock. Even Mori's eyes widened.

"How did she get so much money?" Honey asked.

"Working every day after school and all day on the days when school is out," Kyōya said.

"But what about schoolwork? When does she find the time?" Kaoru asked, looking at his brother. Hikaru was looking back at him, shaking his head. Both wore identical looks of concern on their faces.

Again, Kyōya had an answer. He leaned forward, his glasses flashing in the light. "From what I've observed, she skips lunch period in favor of schoolwork. In fact, she was doing exactly that yesterday before collapsing at my feet from exhaustion."

The room was silent. Tamaki fell heavily onto his chair, staring out of the window. The twins were pointedly not looking at anyone, gripping each other's hands tightly. Honey squeezed Usa-chan tightly, his knuckles turning white from the grip. Mori leaned on the table, his hands clenched into fists.

Kyōya was not fond of manipulating his own friends, but it was time that they began to realize the consequences of their actions. The worst part was that every word he'd said was true. Usually he'd have to exaggerate a bit. He sighed heavily, looking out the same window Tamaki was. His brow furrowed as he noticed the dark clouds forming. He was beginning to hate storms as much as Haruhi.

"Excuse us," Hikaru said, grabbing Kaoru by the arm and pulling him off of the couch. The two left the room in a hurry. The door was left open. Without a word, Honey and Mori followed the first years out of the room. That left Kyōya alone with Tamaki, who stood and made his way to the window.

"I do feel sorry for her," Tamaki said quietly, not looking at his dark-haired counterpart. "But she deserves her punishment. What's done is done." He turned away from the window abruptly, leaving the room behind everyone else. Kyōya sat still, still looking at the spot Tamaki had occupied, his eyes widened in amazement. Despite all he had told the others Hosts, their King had made a firm declaration, and Haruhi was sentenced to suffer because of it.

The storm that was threatening the school during the day finally raged on during Host Club hours. All the Hosts were more subdued since their previous meeting that day. Their guests were able to pick up on the tension, which was bad for business. Kyōya found himself not caring for once. He pointedly ignored Tamaki after his blasé attitude toward Haruhi's plight, and he found himself growing more concerned about her as the sky grew darker and the storm raged. Without a cell phone of her own, it was nearly impossible to track her down if she weren't at home or being followed specifically by one of his men, whom he'd called off.

Once club hours were over, the boys gathered their belongings. Since the revelation of how Haruhi had been spending her time out of the club, they hadn't spoken to one another. Even the twins were slightly distant from one another. They all left the music room, intending to get into their individual limousines and head home. The front of the school, however, was still filled with several students, who were chatting excitedly.

"What's going on?" Hikaru asked one of the students. A short male turned to the Hosts and shrugged.

"The storm was really bad, and they aren't letting us leave yet until they can survey the damage," he'd said.

"I saw one of the gardeners running around like a crazy person," another boy said, "he was running from the back gardens looking like he'd seen a ghost."

Kyōya frowned, looking around. The campus was covered in trees and leaves, looking like some type of a war-zone from the movies, with the school garden staff rushing around hurriedly. Off in the distance, sirens were heard blaring, coming closer to the school. The students were looking at one another in confusion as an ambulance was ushered onto the grounds. All the waiting limousines were moved out of the way of the oncoming ambulance.

A sudden commotion caused all the students standing around to stop. Several administrators hurried to the men coming down from the ambulance. One administrator was quickly explaining to the emergency responders what was happening. Phrases such as "student found" and "gazebo destroyed" were heard before they disappeared around the corner.

The students still milling about turned to one another in confusion before exploding into conversation over what was heard. The Hosts all glanced at one another, save for Tamaki who was trying to appear nonchalant for what could have been the first time in his life. Hurried footsteps brought a hush from the group of students.

"Children, please move out of the way!" a commanding voice said from behind the gathered students. They all turned as the emergency responders pushed a stretcher through the hall towards the ambulance. The crowd of students parted for them, taking in the form on the gurney.

"Haru-chan," Honey moaned pitifully. The others stared in shock as the first year was pushed passed them. She lay motionless underneath a blanket covering her form. Her face was pale and covered in cuts and bruises. One of her legs appeared to be sticking out at an odd angle.

It was silent as everyone watched the stretcher be loaded onto the ambulance, and it drove off. As one giant entity, the students waiting all looked at the Host Club. The anxious chattering began anew.

"Was that Fujioka?" the short male who spoke to Hikaru asked. Sighing, Kyōya stepped away from the group, pulling his cell phone from his pocket.

"Yes, it was." He paused to glance over his shoulder at Tamaki, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "A fitting punishment, wouldn't you agree?" Kyōya sneered. The other Hosts turned to look at Tamaki, who was staring off at where the ambulance had been, his eyes wide and his face pale. "After all, what's done is done." He continued to walk away, not looking back. He gripped the cell phone in his hand tightly. He had to find out where Haruhi was being transported and he had to get in contact with Ranka-san. Once all that was said and done, only then would he allow himself to worry over her wellbeing.

It had taken a few hours for Haruhi to awaken. In that time several students had tried to visit her, but they were all denied permission from her father. Somehow, surprisingly, Tamaki managed to sneak in when Ranka wasn't around. He was quickly escorted off the property when Kyōya heard Haruhi screaming at him to get out. Kyōya watched silently as Tamaki was led from the room without a fight, his face pinched and his eyes downcast.

The injuries she received weren't as bad as they could have been, considering she was sitting under the gazebo during the storm. A broken leg, a sprained wrist, many bruises along her body, particularly along her back and side.

He'd managed to get her to tell him what had happened, and how she'd ended up wandering the gardens. She happened to be hiding from the twins who, after rushing out of Music Room 3 earlier in the day, had tried to corner her to ask her about her recent undertakings. She hadn't wanted to talk to them, not after being ignored for so long, so she fled. Only to realize that Honey and Mori had the same idea as the twins.

Once the storm had started, she was frozen in fear, and took what shelter she could under the gazebo when one of the surrounding trees was struck by lightning and came crashing down on the wooden structure. She was crushed under the weight and knocked unconscious when a beam separated and fell on top of her.

"I still don't understand, Kyōya-senpai," she said, shaking her head. Her speech was slightly slurred from the heavy pain medication she was currently on, and her eyes were bleary. "Why aren't you with the others?"

He didn't answer, and suspected that was probably for the best. He just made himself comfortable in his seat, as she fell back asleep due to the pain medication. Ranka thanked him for staying with her, saying that he was glad she had at least one friend she could trust. Kyōya wasn't sure if Haruhi trusted him, or anyone in light of recent weeks, but he was glad she hadn't kicked him out the way she had Tamaki.

Haruhi was forced to skip the next few days of school due to her hospitalization. In that time Kyōya took it upon himself to tie up all the loose ends of his investigation. The first thing he did was inform Haruhi's employer (he used the term loosely) that she was not going to be returning to work. Her boss, a kindly elderly man, expressed his disappointment in losing the girl as she was fantastic at her job, but understood that her schooling had to come first. He gave Kyōya an envelope of cash, explaining it was her pay for the past few days, and wished both he and Haruhi well. Kyōya pocketed the money, intending on giving it to Haruhi and explaining what he had done for her.

After assisting Ranka with getting Haruhi home and situated, Kyōya sat in his room, going over the files on his laptop he'd been working so hard to obtain. He almost smiled as he went over them, looking at each and every detail methodically. He finally had exactly what he had been looking for all week, answers.

Picking up his cell phone from the table, he dialed a number he'd been avoiding for a few days. He waited patiently for the person on the other line to pick up. At their tentative "Hello?" Kyōya answered, "Tamaki, call the others. I have something to show you all."

As the Host Club stood in front of the door that led to Haruhi's apartment, there was a cloud of dread that hung over all of them. Not wanting to prolong the inevitable any longer, Kyōya reached out and knocked on the door loudly. They all waited as shuffling was heard on the other side.

Eventually the door was opened. Still covered in bandages, arm and leg in a cast, and leaning heavily on crutches stood Haruhi. At seeing who was at her door, she closed her eyes and sighed.

"They don't want you near them during school hours, and yet still show up at your door on the weekends…" she mumbled. Had he not been standing so close to her, Kyōya would have missed the comment.

He smiled politely at her. "Good morning, Haruhi. If you would indulge us for a few minutes, there are some things that need to be clarified." Behind him the others took in her appearance, having not seen her properly since before the storm on Wednesday. After Tamaki was barred from seeing her in the hospital, she had made it clear that under no circumstances were any of the other Hosts allowed in her room. She, in turn, eyed them all wearily, giving them wide berth to move. It seemed that the only one she was slightly comfortable around was Kyōya, himself, as he had been making an effort to spend more time with her lately.

She motioned them to sit down.

"Shouldn't you take a seat?" Tamaki asked when she just stood over them. She glared at him.

"What does it matter? After all, you would have been thrilled had this happened to me a week ago." Tamaki slouched, averting his gaze from hers. The others all shifted uncomfortably at her angry words.

"Haruhi," Kyōya said, placing a hand carefully on her shoulder. She stopped glaring at Tamaki to look at Kyōya. Her anger was justified, but he was still worried about her overdoing it. She squeezed her eyes shut, letting out a sigh. With a nod, she allowed him to help her to the tiny sofa, noting the way she grabbed her side and winced as she sat down. Acting as a shield of sorts, he sat down next to her. He pulled out his laptop, placing it on the table that sat in front of them and waited for it to power on. "You look more rested."

Haruhi shrugged. "The pain medication has this wonderful side effect of making me sleepy. Not to mention the days trapped in the hospital with nothing to do and the teachers excusing me from my classwork." Kyōya smirked. He'd specifically asked Haruhi's doctor, his older brother, to prescribe her something strong when he brought up his concern for her lack of recent sleep. And he'd also spoken with Tamaki's father about a few things, including how it wouldn't benefit her to be put under more stress due to schoolwork with her injuries. But there was no reason to tell her any of that.

"Why are you all here?" Haruhi asked. "I sort of understand why Kyōya-senpai is here, he hasn't left me alone all week, but the rest of you have made it perfectly clear that I am no longer a part of the Host Club, and I kept away from all of you as you asked me to." Kyōya frowned at the slight hitch in Haruhi's voice. Haruhi sat ramrod straight on the couch, almost as though she were a caged animal. He couldn't blame her. The people who had broken their promises, and her trust, were all gathered in her house without announcing they were coming. He was positive that she would have found a way to escape had they called ahead.

Tamaki spoke up, not able to look Haruhi in the eyes. "We've come to the conclusion that perhaps we overreacted that afternoon."

"Oh have you?" Haruhi scowled.

"Look," Kaoru said, "But we just want to apologize…"

Haruhi interrupted the redhead. "For what? Accusing me of theft? Treating me like I'm nothing? I knew, when I first applied to Ouran, that the students there were the kind of people that valued their money and possessions above others. I told myself that I would just ignore it, because it would only end badly for me otherwise. I never thought you guys would be the ones to prove me right." Haruhi tried to stand, wincing as she did.

"We get it. You're mad at us," Hikaru said. He was staring at the crutches Haruhi had leaning against the couch.

"No, I'm not," she refuted. "I was never mad. You guys were the ones who were mad at me. So when you forced me to leave, I did so without a second thought."

"You never were able to find out what happened to your missing items, were you?" Kyōya asked suddenly. Haruhi looked surprised, and the others looked confused.

"What missing items?" Mori asked.

"How did you know about that?" Haruhi asked. Kyōya pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a single finger.

"I made it my business to know about that." Turning the laptop screen for everyone to see, he pressed the spacebar, and a video began playing. "As it turns out," he spoke over the laptop, finally answering Mori's question, "all of your belongings weren't the only ones to have gone missing that day. Haruhi had also fallen victim to the thefts taking place. Only, she never brought it up."

The video was surveillance footage of a member of the custodial staff opening Haruhi's locker, and pulling out her belongings. Her belongings were then replaced with the belongings of the others, while hers were thrown into the garbage.

"W-why would he do that?" Honey asked.

"Because someone paid him to," Kyōya answered. He crossed his arms, leaning against the back of the couch. "Were you all aware that it takes months to execute an 'eye for an eye' revenge plot?" Half of the room was looking at him, the others watching Haruhi. Haruhi say transfixed at the image on the laptop screen, her hands clenching and unclenching in her lap. "It turns out that our dear Princess Ayanokoji, is still slightly bitter over having been thrown out of the Host Club. She paid this man to steal from the entire Host Club and frame Haruhi for it."

"And we fell for it," Tamaki said quietly, a fist clutching his hair tightly. Honey started crying, leaning against Mori, who wrapped an arm around the smaller boy, but kept his focus solely on Haruhi. Hikaru cursed, hiding his face in his hands. Kaoru just stared at the floor.

"And you fell for it," Kyōya agreed, his voice soft. He watched as the realization fell across everyone in the room. He truly felt bad for those he'd considered friends. They were all manipulated into thinking that Haruhi had stolen from them, when in fact, their personal things were fine. The only actual victim of a crime was Haruhi, whose belongings were actually stolen and thrown away.

Kyōya took off his glasses, rubbing at his eyes. He replaced them, then reached into his bag, pulling out two envelopes. He handed both to Haruhi, who took them warily.

"These envelopes contain the money you gave me earlier in the week, as well as the money you were owed from the restaurant. I've taken the liberty of handing in your resignation from there."

"What do you mean? Why would you do that? I still have to pay off my debt!" she yelled. The hand not holding the envelopes was wrapped around her waist. Kyōya held a hand up to stop her yelling.

"No, you do not. As of this moment, your debt has been taken care of in full."

Haruhi blinked, her head tilting to the side in confusion. "What?"

"Your debt is cleared. You are no longer obligated to pay back the Host Club." Kyōya had personally paid the monies remaining from her debt off, freeing her of her obligation. Should she choose to, she could walk away from all of them, never to come in contact with any one of the members of the Host Club for the rest of her stay at Ouran.

"Oh." Her fingers relaxed and the envelopes fell to the floor.

Lowering his hands just slightly, Hikaru turned to Kyōya. "Can I ask you something?" Kyōya nodded. Hikaru swallowed nervously, his eyes darting back from Kyōya to Haruhi before he spoke. "This whole week, you've obviously been doing your Shadow King work for Haruhi. Why?"

"It isn't obvious?" Kyōya retorted. "I knew when you all told me what happened that something was off about the whole situation. 'There can be no friendship without trust.'" Haruhi made a strangled noise next to him. "Despite what I was told, I still trusted her."

They all grew concerned when Haruhi leaned forward, groaning and shaking. Kyōya placed his hand on her shoulder in worry, stopping the others from crowding her with the other hand. Within seconds, Haruhi had managed to throw herself from the opposite end of the couch into his chest. His eyes widened in surprise when he realized that she wasn't just cry, but sobbing heavily. Not even he knew what to do in that moment.

During this entire ordeal she had remained steadfastly stoic about everything, anger being her main emotion. It was ironic that he was the one to have made her cry, and in a deep, dark shallow place in the back of his mind, this annoyed him. Instead of letting that instinct show, he gently placed his own arms around her, allowing her to cry.

The remainder of the day found them all still at the Fujioka residence, but in slightly better moods. It was all still slightly strained, one morning of revelations wasn't going to fix almost a month of damage, but things were looking better for the Host Club. Haruhi's ban from the club was lifted, with the caveat of should she ever want to return, she would be welcomed with open arms.

Haruhi was still excused from school for a few days, but she returned that Monday, not wanting to miss more than she already had. Kyōya had managed to get the staff member who stole her belongs fired, Ayanokoji expelled, and Haruhi a brand new set of textbooks to replace the ones she'd lost.

It was a few weeks after the confrontation at her apartment that Haruhi approached him.

"Kyōya-sempai?" she asked, standing in front of his table in the library. Her leg was no longer in a cast, nor did she require the use of crutches, but she was still required to wear a boot to help her bones set properly. The bruising and cuts had faded, leaving faint scars that were not easily seen unless one knew what to look for. She'd also regained the weight she'd lost. Overall, she looked better now than she had in months.

Kyōya placed the book he was read down, giving the girl his full attention. "Yes Haruhi?"

She fidgeted slightly, pulling on the sleeve of her uniform jacket. "Could I… I mean, is it…" She huffed, sitting down next to him. "I know my debt is paid. I know it isn't necessary, but would it be possible if I…if I came back to the Host Club?"

It spoke to her character that, despite what had befallen her because of the Host Club, she was asking to return, not the other way around.

"Are you sure that that is what you want?" He positioned himself to lean on his folded arms, giving Haruhi his undivided attention.

She didn't respond right away, taking the time to formulate her answer. Kyōya sat there, allowing her to gather her thoughts. After a minute of silence, she spoke. "I thought a lot about everything that's happened. I talked to my dad about it, and he agreed with me. The Host Club is weird, and over the top, and can really get on my nerves sometimes. But it's where I finally got a chance to experience more of Ouran outside of academics. Sometimes, getting sidetracked is a good thing.

"And I got to meet some interesting people. So, I guess what I'm saying is, despite everything, I miss the Host Club. I miss you rich bastards."

Kyōya looked at her for a moment. Then he smiled at her. The trust was back.

"I can assure you, we've missed you too. As it just so happens, we are in need of a Natural type. Would you be interested?"

-End—

 _240,410_ _¥ = $2,000_


End file.
